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Reports of an impending American-Russian presidential meeting have been greatly exaggerated, apparently.

Just days after President Trump said he planned to confer with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Hungarian capital - "within two weeks or so" - the summit has been put off without a new date.

A initial get-together by the two nations' top diplomats has been cancelled, as well.

"I don't want to have a fruitless discussion," President Trump told reporters at the executive mansion on a recent weekday. "I don't want a waste of time, so I'll see what transpires."

• Donald Trump states he did not want a 'unproductive session' after plan for Putin talks postponed
• Disappointment in Kyiv as Zelensky departs White House empty-handed

The frequently changing summit is another twist in Trump's attempts to broker an end to hostilities in the Eastern European nation – a topic of renewed focus for the American leader after he arranged a ceasefire and hostage release agreement in Gaza.

While making remarks in the North African country recently to celebrate that ceasefire agreement, the president addressed Steve Witkoff, with a new request.

"We have to get the Russian situation done," he declared.

Nonetheless, the conditions that aligned to make a Gaza breakthrough achievable for the negotiation team may be difficult to duplicate in a conflict in Ukraine that has been ongoing for nearing several years.

Reduced Influence

Per the lead negotiator, the crucial element to unlocking a deal was Israel's decision to attack representatives of Hamas in the Gulf state. It was a action that infuriated US partners in the Arab world but provided Trump bargaining power to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu into reaching an agreement.

Trump gained from a history of supporting Israel dating back to his first term, including his decision to relocate the US embassy to Jerusalem, to change US policy on the lawfulness of Israeli settlements in the occupied territories and, in recent times, his backing for Israel's military campaign against the Islamic Republic.

The American leader, actually, is better regarded among the Israeli public than their prime minister – a position that gave him special sway over the nation's head.

Add in the president's connections in politics and business to influential Arab nations in the area, and he had a abundant diplomatic muscle to secure an deal.

Regarding the conflict in Ukraine, by contrast, the president has significantly reduced leverage. Over the past nine months, he has vacillated between efforts to pressure Putin and then the Ukrainian leader, all with little seeming effect.

Trump has warned to enact additional penalties on Russia's oil and gas sales and to provide Ukraine with advanced missile systems. But he has also acknowledged that doing so could harm the world's financial stability and further escalate the conflict.

At the same time, the US leader has criticized openly Zelensky, halting briefly information exchange with the country and pausing weapon deliveries to the country - then to back off in the face of concerned European allies who warn a defeat of Ukraine could disrupt the whole area.

Trump loves to tout his skill to sit down and hammer out deals, but his personal discussions with both Putin and Zelensky have not appeared to move the war any nearer a peaceful end.

Putin may in fact be using the US leader's wish for a deal – and faith in in-person deal-making - as a method of manipulating him.

In July, Putin consented to a summit in the US state just as it appeared likely that Trump would sign off on legislative penalties backed by Senate Republicans. That legislation was subsequently put on hold.

Last week, as reports spread that the US administration was considering seriously shipping long-range missiles and air defense systems to Ukraine, the president of Russia called Trump who then promoted the possible meeting in Budapest.

The following day, the president welcomed Zelensky at the White House, but left empty-handed after a allegedly strained discussion.

Trump maintained that he was not being manipulated by Putin.

"As you are aware, I have been manipulated throughout my career by the best of them, and I emerged successfully," he said.

But the Ukrainian leader subsequently commented on the timeline of developments.

"Once the matter of long-range mobility became a less accessible for Ukraine – for our nation – the Russian side quickly became less interested in negotiations," he stated.

Thus, in a short period, Trump has bounced from entertaining the prospect of providing weapons to the Eastern European country to organizing a meeting in Hungary with Putin and confidentially pressuring the Ukrainian president to cede all of Donbas – even land Russia has been failed to capture.

He has finally settled on calling for a truce along present frontlines – something Russia has rejected.

On the campaign trail last year, the candidate promised that he could resolve the conflict in Ukraine in a very short time. He has subsequently abandoned that pledge, saying that concluding the war is turning out harder than he expected.

It has been a rare acknowledgement of the constraints of his power – and the difficulty of finding a framework for peace when both parties desires, or can afford to, give up the fight.